The Silence
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: Something has happened to Sarah, something that will affect the entire Horseland gang. One-shot.


**The Silence**

**Summary: Something has happened to Sarah, but she won't tell anybody. Who can get the secret out of her before something bad happens?**

**English Romance/Angst Rated: T Chapters:1 Words: Sarah W. & Bailey H.**

**She came from the ride a different person, almost three hours after she was supposed to arrive. Burs were wrapped in her fluffy blond hair, the golden sunshine locks destroyed by nature's touch. Her crimson riding jacket was ripped in places, white pants grayed with dust. **

**If I had looked further, I would've seen the blood staining her clothes.**

**Her ice blue eyes had dulled, no longer possessing the beautiful shine I loved. She got off of Scarlet shakily, almost falling down, whispering something hoarsely to her black Arabian. She nickered, while her rider brought her back into her stall, coughing as she closed the door. She slowly walked out of the barn, not heading for home, just down the road.**

**I had been watching from the hay loft, silently waiting for her to return. The piece of hay permanently clamped in my teeth had fallen, a slowly drifting golden strand. Why she came back so hurt was beyond me, but now, I regret not getting down, asking her what was wrong.**

**I should've known by the way the horses neighed impatiently, how Aztec irritably brushed me aside when I tried to brush him. He snorted, chestnut and navy mane flailing wildly across his face. He stomped, but I did nothing, just fed him, brushed him, and hugged him good night.**

**That night was way too quiet, the silence pushed down on me with such force I felt like it was purposely squeezing all of the air out of my lungs. I dashed over to the main building where I lived, my parents owning the ranch. Will was already asleep in his room, he had been living here ever since he was little. I edged myself into my room, quickly shutting the door as if something was chasing me.**

**My room wasn't very different from any other pre-teen boy, except for a few pictures of Aztec and our trophies. My friends also occupied some of the spaces, photos with gleaming laminated surfaces. **

**The first one was Molly, one of the youngest riders, but fit in with us just fine. Her joking, easy-going personality put us all at ease, her ability to let things go. She was on Calypso, her fist pushed in the air, smiling widely.**

**The next one was Alma, another main part of our little group. Her smarts came from constantly reading, giving her a huge knowledge of horses, always giving us information in a Spanish accent. She was on Buttons, waving shyly at the camera, but smiling anyhow.**

**Of course, there was Will, the oldest one of us, the leader of the pack. He was like the adult around us, but was still cool, the one to give us our lessons. He was on Jimber, his cowboy hat tipped towards the camera.**

**Last was Sarah, the sentimental, sweet glue that held us all together. Her love of horses was great, so was her love of everyone else as well, she was incredibly sweet. She was on Scarlet, petting her black and scarlet mane.**

**I didn't own pictures of the snobby sisters, Zoey and Chloe, but they were still riders. Their comments about anything we did put them away from our group.**

**Now, I was staring out the window, wanting nothing more then to see Sarah, invite her in, find out what happened. **

**I can't turn back time, at that moment, there was nothing in the world I wanted more now, then to turn back time to stop her in the barn.**

**I was too late, of course.**

**Morning light streamed through my window, where I realized I had fallen asleep at. My dark blue jersey was my pajamas, wrinkled from sleeping in the strange up-right position. I yawned, Sarah momentarily forgotten as I got dressed in a dark blue shirt, jeans, and sneakers, going outside to the barn.**

**Once again, pure silence pounded against my ears, the sound turning me uneasy, finding Will had already left for a ride. The horses were once again neighing loudly with each other, almost like they were having a conversation.**

**When I approached Aztec, he nickered, pointing his head towards Scarlet's stall. I didn't see the horse's head sticking out, so I walked into the stall, heart-broken by the sight.**

**Sarah was curled up with her horse, both laying down on the hay bed. They looked peaceful, sunlight splashing across their similar appearances. Something was wrong though, I knelt down, crawling over to them.**

**Scarlet was the first one I found different, her large black body sprawled out on the floor. I felt her nose, horrified at how dry it was, instead of the usual wetness a live horse's nose was. **

**Scarlet was dead.**

**Frantic the same thing was happening to her, I scooped up Sarah, holding her petite frame to my chest, as if my heart beat would start hers. Her beautiful, full, loving heart had stopped, thanks to my decision not to ask her.**

**It's not possible for any of us to recover from something like that, the shattering impact of extreme loss. It was like we had driven head first through the windshield.**

**Molly moved on after Sarah was gone. We all saw it coming, no longer did she joke around or try to lighten us up. She and Calypso left Horseland without a word, leaving behind only another empty stall.**

**Alma hasn't said a single word since, instead, she never leaves the barn. The hay loft is now hers, where she'll read anything she can get her hands on. At least it's not an empty stall to add to the sad picture.**

**Chloe and Zoey also left, telling me they were "tired of everything here falling apart so quickly." I knew they were sad as well, Sarah had been a friend to all of us, even them.**

**Horseland isn't open anymore, after so many people left, we closed down. The barn is still ours, I let Alma come in when she wants, sometimes she'll spend the night in the stables. **

**At night, I'll gaze up at the stars, with Shep on my lap, his old dog warmth some small comfort. He hasn't changed, he's still Shep, the same dog who took care of us all. We'll both stare at the sky, thinking of how the black looks just like Scarlet's fur. **

**The stars are her eyes, glittering as they did before the midnight ride that changed us all. The deafening impact, how everyone left me alone to pick up the pieces. **

**I am angry at myself, at how I pushed this upon us, how I can live with myself for doing such a thing. I wish for such things that could never be, like to bring two spirits back up to life again.**

**The worst part washes over me everyday, bringing tears to my eyes, guilt pulling my shoulders rigid. Ice runs through my veins, my heart becomes clogged with grief, until I say it aloud.**

**"I never got to say goodbye."**

_**I never knew silence could be this loud.**_


End file.
